Winter break is one of the most awaited breaks in our household. The other one is SUMMER, of course. We either travel out of state or over seas to see other family members and re-bond. This year we opted to stay and relax. The children were on break for about 3 weeks, so I have to make it worthwhile and reminiscing.
I'm glad that I'm a stay at home mom so I get to spend a lot of time with my kiddos. The first week was pretty hectic and busy. Almost each day was all about the Christmas season. We did paper ornament crafts, fulfilled our Christmas shopping and decorations, and formulated my paella menu for the Christmas eve.
The template I enlarged and printed out on a copy paper. Next time I'll do this on a cardstock so it's sturdier and would stand my daughter's daily play. |
My kids who helped me make decorate the house in a most beautiful way. Everything was crafted with love and enthusiasm. |
Tada! Our paper fairy angel is ready to adorn our table tops. |
The paper fairy angels the kids enjoyed coloring and putting together while I was busy with another Christmas craft. This idea is not mine. I was just resourceful enough to find this online and have compiled everything in my DIY Christmas Ornaments article for easier reference. |
The handcrafted paper tree out of my daughter's handprints, and my son's footprint. It was very simple to do it but you will need a lot of green construction papers and a lot of scissor skills. So consider yourself forewarned. This was made specifically to decorate one wall of our playroom, which the kids frequent on a daily routine. If you want to learn how to do this, check out My blog on this Paper Christmas Tree. |
For our noche buena (Christmas midnight feast), I tried to cook different meal each year. We usually do it potluck even if the host would say otherwise. So we ended up with a real big feast. There was never a time that anyone in the family brought the same dish. Thanks to good coordination between family members. After, we divided leftovers among ourselves to bring home. So the host won't end up with a lot of foods to stress about.
What I usually do is prepare Rubbermaid containers of the different sizes to accommodate each dish. Below were just the dishes I prepared for our noche buena. I didn't include what the rest of the family contributed. It was in our place so I had to make it special, and prepare quite as much. That was why we fully-decorated the house as well. Normally we don't. We just put up the standards: the tree, the wreath, the christmas stockings, the manger, the garlands and the lights.
What I usually do is prepare Rubbermaid containers of the different sizes to accommodate each dish. Below were just the dishes I prepared for our noche buena. I didn't include what the rest of the family contributed. It was in our place so I had to make it special, and prepare quite as much. That was why we fully-decorated the house as well. Normally we don't. We just put up the standards: the tree, the wreath, the christmas stockings, the manger, the garlands and the lights.
After the Christmas feast came the gift exchanges. That was the best part of Christmas for my kids. They'd been patrolling the tree since the day it was put up. They kept checking their Christmas stockings for any presents from Santa. We used to place red envelopes as stocking stuffers. No toys. Just anything light that the stockings could bear until Christmas Eve. And we didn't fill it in till the day itself. Everyone had to strike-a-pose for pictures. The more candid it was, the better. We kept it for memories-sake.
The second week of the break is all about 2012 preparation. It was nothing as festive as Christmas. And the gifts that came were post-Christmas gifts that didn't make it on Christmas day. We got them in the mail from out-of-state or oversea family members, relatives, godparents and friends. And of course, we did the same each year. It's been the tradition, so we keep it that way.
On this week, we did a bit of play dates with school friends to keep in touch and to revive friendships on breaks. We also spent time on the park to play with new outdoor toys such as R/C helicopters, scooters and bicycles. We played it with friends who got similar presents so we avoid jealousy. We also played video games on our Wii consoles and DS Consoles to try out new games that were gifted to us. My daughter and I had a blast playing with her complete collections of Tinkerbell and the Great Fairy Rescue dolls, and her Melissa and Doug Abby and Emma Magnetic Dress-Up Dolls. I felt like I went back in my childhood years.
New year's eve came and the dinner was held on my sister-in-law's place. We had a different meal. It was Shabu-Shabu this time! The easiest but the most loved meal ever.
The Shabu-Shabu we made for the kids that was un-spicy and has full of vegie, meat, and seafoods. Noodles were cooked on the side so as not to make the soup starchy. |
The third week of the break was the first day of 2012. So here's wishing everyone a Prosperous and Blessed 2012!!
We went to the Universal Studios for some fun and adventure before they hit school by Monday, the 9th. It was our 2nd visit since our first last September 2011. We got a pass, but somehow we're lazy drivers to drive up to Hollywood and brave the traffic. I honestly envy moms who can drive their kids back and forth everywhere and as far as San Diego from LA!
For the last week of the break, I have scheduled more play dates for the kids. This was the quietest week for us. Time to finish up our 2011 photo book, and get my blog running once again. Honestly, when I wasn't not blogging, I was busy with my Facebook page. It's a private page. It's intended for family members and friends across the globe.
I also would like to let you know that Healthy Eats is running another challenge to fulfill. It will run for the whole month of January and is divided into 5 weeks. Once again I look forward for another set of challenge that will grace my blog-site. Check the link here.
Happy 2012 to all!!